Siheyuan: Xu Damao, I want to go to the moon

Everyone didn't believe it and carefully counted the number of spiked rakes on the blurry image again - it had 6 teeth, the same dung fork used in the village, the kind used for fodder, and that's it!

"Is it really a dung fork? Xu Damao, you have such a vicious look in your eyes!"

A nosy colleague gave Xu Damao a thumbs up, which made Xu Damao feel a little embarrassed.

I didn't see it, I threw it out myself, so of course I know it, but can I really say it?

"The Russian bear's satellite was shot down by a dung fork? Isn't this a joke too big?"

The Propaganda Department is full of people who have relied on connections to get a pension, and they basically have no hope of promotion, so the atmosphere is quite harmonious. Everyone brags, chats, and goesssips without any formality. The most core problem is that there is basically no conflict of interest among everyone.

The most difficult thing to do is to show movies in the countryside, but there is only one projectionist, and this projectionist really loves to show movies in the countryside.

So it's good for everyone. But if you mess up the projectionist and he doesn't go to the countryside, won't the others be in trouble?

Therefore, the Propaganda Department is actually the most united department in the factory.

Xu Damao loves this place very much.

Just when everyone was still talking about whether the Russian bear's satellite was shot down by a dung fork this time, someone suddenly rushed over to find Section Chief Huang.

"Chief Huang, Liu Lan, who was rehearsing the program, fainted!"

"?!"

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In the factory clinic, Xu Damao listened to the factory doctor's explanation.

"Low blood sugar, low blood pressure, to put it bluntly, it's hunger and malnutrition."

"If I continue to practice singing in this condition, I will faint again because low blood sugar will cause insufficient blood supply to the brain."

The factory doctor prescribed a bottle of glucose for Liu Lan to drink while explaining to her and Xu Damao.

Only then did Xu Damao notice that Liu Lan was obviously thinner than last month, especially her cheekbones were already visible.

"What's going on, Liu Lan? You can't even get enough to eat even though you work in the cafeteria?"

Xu Damao was a little surprised. Although the food problem has become tense now, you are more or less an apprentice in the canteen. It should be no problem for you to eat your fill in the canteen, right?

The heavy manual laborers in their workshop didn't faint from hunger, but you, a worker in the cafeteria, fainted from hunger first. Isn't this a bit too exaggerated?

"Da Mao, don't ask anymore..."

Liu Lan blushed a little, and seemed to have something to hide, but she refused to tell Xu Damao. So she took the glucose and left the factory clinic.

Xu Damao scratched his head - [I don't ask? When the day of the performance comes, you faint on the stage, and then it won't just be me who will be embarrassed, it will be the entire Propaganda Department, the entire steel mill! ]

[Lao Li has found a lot of snacks for everyone recently, and you have brought a lot of leftovers home, right? What's more, you are also a kitchen helper in the cafeteria. ]

[By the way, Shazhu has been bringing more and more lunch boxes home recently. Did this idiot take away all the leftovers? ]

[It is possible. He is capable of doing such a thing.]

[But as a canteen helper, you are provided with meals, right? ]

Xu Damao really couldn't figure it out, but because of his identity, it was not easy for him to go directly to Director Liu to ask about this matter.

Soldiers versus soldiers, generals versus generals, I, a small projectionist, went to question the canteen director why his apprentices fainted from hunger.

Isn't this nonsense?

Besides, it is not easy to ask Section Chief Huang and Director Li for this matter. We hired them ourselves, and if they can't even handle such a small matter, then they are useless.

Xu Damao rubbed his head - annoying!

I just want to sing a song and perform a show, why is there so much trouble?

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After get off work, Xu Damao did not go home directly, but followed Liu Lan all the way to her home.

This was a large compound not far from the steel rolling mill. Seeing Liu Lan walk straight into the house, Xu Damao had just parked the car and walked in when he was stopped by an old lady.

"What do you do?!"

Looking at the serious expression of the old lady with a cane, Xu Damao knew that he was being treated as a bad person.

"Auntie, don't misunderstand me. I'm Liu Lan's colleague. I'm here to talk to her about something..."

"Is it necessary to be so sneaky when looking for someone? Tell me! What are you doing here? If you don't tell me, I will call for help!"

Before Xu Damao could finish his words, the old lady raised her cane and pointed it at Xu Damao, as if she was going to smash it down if they had a disagreement.

"Auntie, I'm really her colleague. I just came to see her..." Xu Damao was about to explain, but the old lady didn't wait for him to finish his words. She took a step forward and pointed her cane at his face, saying angrily -

"Dachengzi is dead. As the old saying goes, good deeds are forgiven when one dies. Why are you still unwilling to let us three children go? Is there still law in this world?"

"Auntie, can you please listen to what I have to say? I am not a bad person!"

Xu Damao was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. Why are you so excited? Can you let the other person finish his words first?

"Mom? Damao?"

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After a long while, in Liu Lan's room, after listening to the old lady's story, Xu Damao finally understood Liu Lan's current situation.

She was 22 years old, two years older than Xu Damao, and a widow.

And this lady is her mother-in-law, and she has a 3-year-old boy at home.

Liu Lan's husband Dachengzi was addicted to gambling. In early 58, he was tricked by someone else and owed a lot of gambling debts.

But this guy was a bachelor, so he jumped into the river and committed suicide. He thought that according to the rules of the underworld, debts would be forgiven after death, and the family would not be affected by the disaster. Besides, everyone knew that this was a trap set by the other party.

But unexpectedly, the other party did not let Liu Lan and her mother-in-law go, and used the original house as collateral for the debt. So Liu Lan, her mother-in-law and her son Xiaobao rented this small, shabby house of less than 10 square meters. Fortunately, in July and August of 58, the steel mill was recruiting workers, and Liu Lan was lucky enough to be selected, so the whole family had a way to make a living.

But that group of people would come to ask for money from time to time, saying that nine out of ten would go to the owner, and that the original house was not even enough to pay the interest.

Liu Lan's apprentice salary was basically taken away by them every month. There was no other way, the IOU had Dachengzi's handprint and was still in their hands.

It’s not that Liu Lan didn’t think about reporting the case, but the other party said that if she dared to do so, her family of three would have no chance of survival.

So the three of them have been enduring humiliation until now. For the sake of Xiaobao, they dare not gamble.

As the food supply has been reduced recently, Liu Lan basically only has one steamed bread for a meal at the factory, and brings the rest back for her mother-in-law and Xiaobao. As for hoping that Sha Zhu would leave some leftovers for everyone to share, that's impossible, because he still has Sister Qin's family to feed!

Not to mention the current situation, the cafeteria didn't have much leftovers. Even if there were, if Sha Zhu didn't take them, naturally someone else would take them, and it wouldn't be the turn of Liu Lan, an apprentice with little experience and little work.

So, recently I couldn’t hold on any longer and fainted during training.

People's joys and sorrows are different, so Xu Damao can't say anything.

"Liu Lan, after all, we are teammates rehearsing the show together. If you have something to say, you should tell me earlier!"

"If you really faint on the stage on the day of the performance, we'll all be finished."

Liu Lan kept her head down and refused to speak. She still had her dignity and was too embarrassed to tell others about her situation, and she didn't want to continue to trouble Xu Damao.

Firstly, in the current situation, everyone is short of food, and they are just cooperating with Xu Damao in rehearsals. Moreover, he and Director Li have already subsidized everyone a lot;

Secondly, there were rumors in the factory that she and Xu Damao had an affair;

Thirdly, she also helped her punish Sha Zhu, so Liu Lan really didn’t want to tell Xu Damao, because she was too embarrassed to say it.

Xu Damao, who knew the situation, patted his chest and said.

"Wait, isn't it just food? I have plenty of it, your brother Damao. Wait for me, I'll bring it to you right away!"

"Da Mao - no - this is not appropriate!"